Epilogue
Standard
Twilight opened her eyes and sat up with a start. She was back in her room, and she was alone. It was morning, and the sky looked bright and blue instead of apocalyptic red. Had she dreamed the whole thing? No, that was impossible. She knew that it was real.
She looked down on her lap and saw an envelope. She opened it and saw a note inside wrapped around something heavy. She opened it and was surprised to see a Gate Key inside.
“It was real…” Twilight said, now putting her attention to the note.
Congratulations on defeating Lavos and saving the world. I've already made sure that everyone else got back to their worlds as well. I know that you're probably in a lot of pain right now, but what you did truly means a lot to all of us.
I think we both agree that she was truly the embodiment of generosity.
With Celestia's permission, I've given all five of you Gate Keys. You can use those to see each other any time. I know you have your own Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy, but never forget the bonds you made in the other worlds.
Also, make sure you NEVER forget Rarity.
I'm sorry we couldn't see one another in person, but this was my last stop. After this, I'm going to be staying with the real Celestia in Zenith. One day I might make my own avatars and come to see you. Till then, enjoy your new life, Twilight.
Your best friend,
Sunset Shimmer
That name… Rarity. It resonated with Twilight. That was someone very important. Someone that she was… supposed to remember. She looked to the side of her bed and for a second saw a flash of another girl lying next to her. A girl with long purple hair.
“Rarity… Rarity!” Twilight cried, suddenly remembering everything. Remembering how she met Rarity, remembering who Rarity was to her, and remembering how she…
Twilight couldn't hold back her tears, and hugged herself tightly as she sobbed loudly. Now Rarity was truly gone, in all worlds.
As she cried, her phone rang. She picked it up, seeing Pinkie Pie's name show up.
“H-hello?” Twilight asked.
“Twilight! You answered!” Pinkie Pie cheered, “That means you did it, right?”
“Y-yeah… we did it…” Twilight said, “We… defeated Lavos...”
“So… Rarity is…” Pinkie Pie asked softly, surprising Twilight.
“Wait, you remember her?” Twilight asked.
“Should I not…?” Pinkie Pie asked slowly, “She was sort of a big part of our lives.”
Twilight couldn't believe it. She remembered Luna saying that people would forget Rarity, but somehow her Pinkie Pie still remembered her. If that was the case, then maybe the others remembered her too.
“Pinkie Pie, what day is it?” Twilight asked.
“It's Sunday,” Pinkie Pie asked, “You wanna get everyone together?”
“Yes, everyone,” Twilight said, smiling to herself and grabbing the Gate Key tightly, “I… sort of need my friends with me.”
After getting showered and dressed, Twilight stepped out of her house and looked up at the sky with a hopeful smile.
“Rarity, thank you,” Twilight said, imagining that Rarity was listening to her, “I don't know if you're up there, or if you can hear this at all, but you gave my life true meaning. I promise to keep that meaning close to my heart forever.”
Twilight took the Gate Key, and wrapped it around her neck with a new chain she found, and then took her bike down to Canterlot Park, where her friends from Standard waited for her.
Don't worry Rarity.
I'll always keep you alive in my heart.
Forest
With the original Chief gone now, everyone in Canterlot Village took a vote on who they wanted as their new chief. To Fluttershy's surprise, she won unanimously. She now knelt in the Chief and Seer's hut, talking with the Seer about the events of the past and how she was going to proceed with her future.
“Gate Key yours now,” Seer Celestia said giving Fluttershy her Gate Key, “Use to go see friends anytime you wish.”
“So, I see Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Dash again?” Fluttershy asked, thinking of her mechanical friend.
“Yes, all friends return to their worlds, and all have Gate Key like you,” Seer Celestia said.
“Not all friends…” Fluttershy said, looking away somberly, “Rarity gone…”
Seer Celestia gave Fluttershy a saddened smile, “Losing friend sad, but friend not want you to mourn. Rarity want you to live life strongly. You Chief now, Fluttershy. You must lead Village.”
“Yes,” Fluttershy said, “Seer right. I not mourn for Rarity. I hold Rarity close to heart, and lead as person she make me,” she bowed to the Seer, “Thank you, Seer.”
As she rose to her feet, she saw Macintosh talking to his sisters ahead of her. Thinking about him, she smiled rubbing her stomach. After Greymane raped her, she was afraid of letting a man touch her. Now, not only did she have a mate in Macintosh, but she also had a child on the way.
None of this would have been possible without Rarity.
Fluttershy walked over to her new family and embraced Macintosh, kissing him lovingly. Though she was still sad that Rarity and Equestria were gone, she'd make the most of her new life here. She was no longer weak and helpless. Now she was strong, and a leader.
Rarity, can you see me?
I've finally become someone strong enough to protect people just like you.
I'll be okay now Rarity, so… you don't have to protect me from the bullies anymore.
Machine
DASH-379 stood at the edge of a cliff, looking at the ocean. She was the final DASH unit besides Celestia, who once again had her weapons all removed. It was ironic that the last two of Tirek's machines were his first robot and his last.
She looked down at the water, contemplating throwing herself off the edge. Her mission was completed. All of the dangerous robots made by Tirek were destroyed, including the robots in her series. Lavos was destroyed, and while they never were able to return Rarity to her world, she did accomplish Rarity's final mission. All that was left was to destroy herself, and Tirek's legacy would be gone forever.
So… why couldn't she bring herself to do it?
“I do not understand…” DASH-379 said, “My mission is finished. There is nothing left for me to do. So… why can I not self terminate?”
Suddenly, the events of her adventure replayed back in her CPU. The first memory she received was the memory of meeting Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rarity for the first time in this world. She knew that they were allies, even though she had never met them or had them registered into her database.
Next she remembered the day she learned of Fluttershy's fear of men, and how that affected her. It was the first time in this life that she had felt true emotional pain. Ironically though, it hadn't felt foreign. It felt natural, or like something similar had happened before.
Next she remembered the day she learned of her origins. That was when she made the program “Special Priority Zero”, which denoted that Fluttershy's safety went before all other objectives.
Sadly, she then remembered being reprogrammed back to Tirek's servant, and turning against her friends. Even though she was programmed to do so, it still felt like she had betrayed them. Still though, her friends all brought her back.
“Friends…” DASH-379 said, now looking at the Gate Key that Discord had given her, “They are… my friends…”
She finally remembered the promise she made to Rarity. It replayed itself perfectly, almost without her command.
Promise me something, Rainbow Dash. That after all of this, you'll start taking true pride in yourself, even if you exist as Athena. You're truly beautiful, Rainbow Dash.
“That is correct. I made a promise to my friend,” DASH-379 said now smiling, tears falling from her eyes, “A promise that I would begin to take true pride in myself. That does not just mean in my capabilities, but also in my existence.”
DASH-379 looked down at her hand, “I am DASH-37- no… I am Athena. A robot created by Dr. Tirek to kill humans. However, that is not the life I choose for myself. First off… I will choose to live,” she tightened her fist and looked up at the sky, “Second of all, I will now devote my existence to protecting people. I have been cursed with the gift of free will, but I know how to use this curse, and turn it into a gift. That is what you wanted for me. Right… Rarity?”
DASH-379 smiled, and then turned around to walk back into the city. She had no idea how she would live in this world. People would be afraid of her, and she'd have a hard time convincing them that she wasn't evil. However, she had friends who believed in her. As long as she had that, she'd be fine.
No more feeling sorry for myself.
I AM the top in my line, after all.
Rarity... thank you for being my friend.
Medieval
“Teacher, I did it,” Applejack said kneeling before the monument in the courtyard, “I saved the whole universe. Most of all, I avenged your death, just not in the way I thought. I got the chance to meet you again. You were different, but in a way still the same. In a way, I can't see the two of you as separate people.
“The Queen is back, safe and sound. She gave me one of those Gate Keys, so I can go to the other worlds and see everyone. It's weird, because I remember Equestria now. I remember my family, my friends, my farm, and I miss all of them. However, I also remember my full like here, in Medieval. I'm sad that I'll never return to Equestria, but my new life in this world is fine,” she held up the Masamune, which now had the Gate Key attached to the hilt, “Besides, as long as I have this sword, I'll never be apart from them.
“To the Rarity of this world, I thank you for turning me into the knight that I was meant to be, and for loving me as much as you did,” she rose up, picked up Rarity's spear, and looked at it with a sobered smile, “And to the other Rarity, thank you for tempering me into an even better knight. I'll never forget you, or the lessons that you taught me,” she took the spear and placed it on the monument, “I don't think there's anyone else who'd ever be worthy of this spear, so I'll let you hold onto it. Good bye, Rarity.”
Applejack kissed her hand and placed it on the monument, and then walked back into the castle. Sitting on the window of her room watching her was Pinkamena, who had been allowed to not only stay in Medieval, but was now living in the castle with Applejack.
“Would ya look at that,” Pinkamena said smiling, “She really does remember you, Rarity. I wish that I could go back to Equestria, but maybe the fact that I still exist is a sign of how special my life is too,” she looked up at the sky, “You really saved all of us, Rarity. You truly are the Element of Generosity.”
Pinkamena turned back into her room and walked to the door. She had a new life ahead of her now. It wasn't in her world anymore, but it was close enough. At least she had her friends with her. When she made it down the hall, she saw Applejack waiting for her. The two of them hugged, and walked off to the throne room to see the Queen.
I won't waver anymore. I'll become a knight that YOU can be proud of.
This is my world now, and I"ll protect it just as strongly as Equestria.
Thank you... Rarity.
“Hey. Open your eyes.”
She opened her eyes, shocked to see Sunset Shimmer standing before her.
What…?
But… where am I…?
“This is the beginning to time,” Sunset said, “It looks like yours hasn't quite run out.”
This was confusing. What was she saying? How was she still here?
“You impacted a lot of people on your journey,” Sunset continued folding her arms, “Because of that, people who should have forgotten you didn't. Just as your love kept them safe, now their love is keeping you safe.”
What does this mean…?
Sunset laughed mirthfully, “It means you get to go back. You're given another chance at life. That, and your own unique place in the universe. Don't worry though, Lavos won't be coming back. When you and Twilight used Chrono Reflect, you made that space a singularity point, therefore his death happened. There's no way around it. Because of that though, you can go back safe and sound.”
Where will I go…?
What world will I live in…?
“In whichever world you wish,” Sunset said, “I think I have an idea of where you want to be dropped off though. Enjoy your new life. I know you'll make the most of it.”
Everything went white around her, and she felt herself slowly fall. She wasn't afraid though. Rather, she felt an odd sense of… relief.
end song
Twilight, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Applejewel all sat together in the park near the school thinking about Rarity. Twilight had finished filling them all in on what happened, and they decided to have a small memorial just for her.
“It's so sad though,” Rainbow Dash said, “In the end, all she wanted was to return to her world.”
“That's jus' how things are sometimes,” Applejewel said rubbing her arm, “In life, ya don't always get the happy endin.”
“Fluttershy, are you okay?” Pinkie Pie asked Fluttershy, who was silent the whole time, “I know this is hardest for you, but…”
“I'll get there…” Fluttershy admitted, “I'm not there right now, but I'll get there.”
Twilight turned to where the monument was, and saw a familiar purple boot lying at the base, in front of where the portal was. She slowly stood up and started walking over there.
“Twilight?” Rainbow Dash asked. Twilight didn't say anything to her, instead kept walking over to the statue. When she turned to the side of the portal, she stopped, eyes wide in shock. Rainbow Dash, who had followed her out of curiosity, gasped in shock and then ran back to the group.
“Jewel! Pinkie Pie! Fluttershy!” she screamed. Meanwhile, Twilight started trembling, tears falling from her eyes. She couldn't believe it. It was impossible, but somehow…
“Mmm…” she stirred and slowly opened her eyes, looking around a bit confused. She then met eyes with Twilight, who broke down completely.
“RARITY!!!” Twilight cried, kneeling down and embracing her beloved friend tightly, “I don't believe it! You're alive! But… how?!”
“It's thanks to you…” Rarity said softly, embracing Twilight just as tightly, “You and everyone else remembered me, so I was given a new life.”
“New life? Does that mean…?”
“Yes darling, it does,” Rarity looked into Twilight's eyes, smiling brightly shedding tears of joy, “I'm back, and this time I'm here to stay.”
“Rarity…” Twilight sobbed. She and Rarity slowly closed in and kissed tenderly, and then pressed their foreheads together laughing. A few seconds later, the rest of their friends ran over to them and stopped. Applejewel's eyes were wide in shock, Pinkie Pie's whole expression lit up to the point where she was beaming, Rainbow Dash covered her mouth shedding tears of joy, and Fluttershy was breathing heavily, apparently close to breaking down herself.
Twilight helped Rarity up, and she turned to all of them.
“Hey girls,” Rarity said softly, “I'm... home.”
Immediately, Fluttershy broke down and ran into Rarity's arms.
“YOU IDIOT!!!” she screamed, “I THOUGHT I LOST YOU AGAIN!!! WHY WOULD YOU PUT ME THROUGH THAT TWICE?!!! YOU!!!! YOU!!!!” anything left she had to say was lost in her loud and heavy sobs.
Rarity said nothing as she held Fluttershy. One by one her friends all embraced her. Was it her world? Yes and no. It wasn't exactly the same, but that didn't matter. No matter what, she'd be okay. After all, she had the greatest friends in the whole universe.
No matter what world she was in, she knew without a doubt that Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Twilight were her best friends.
Chrono Reflect
The End